Costumes During the Post-Vedic Period

Saris are a traditional piece of clothing for Indian women.

The post-Vedic era in India is also referred to as medieval India. This period lasted about 500 years, from AD 1000 to AD 1565. During this time India suffered from many foreign invasions, such as several from Persia. Traditional Indian clothing such as saris and dhotis remained the typical clothing, but as a result of foreign invasions new pieces of clothing were incorporated to the Indian culture.

Saris

A sari is a silk or cotton cloth that a woman wraps around her body in different forms. One mode of dress was to wrap the sari like a skirt and throw the top part over the shoulder. Another method of wearing the sari was to wrap it around their legs like pants. These clothing styles persist into the present day.

Dhoti

Men in the post-Vedic period wore similar wrapped cloth called a dhoti. This cloth is usually white and is wrapped around the legs to make short pants.

Persian Invasion

Due to the Islamic invasion in the 11th century, Persian fashions were incorporated in the everyday wardrobe. Men and women would wear long trousers with a long tunic that came down to their knees. Some women wore long veils that would cover their pants. Silver and gold jewelry became popular among Indian women. Women also started sporting the bindi, which is a red dot on the forehead.

References

• History for Kids: Indian Clothing

Resources

• UC Berkeley Library: South Asian History; Medieval India